Chapter 21

PALMELLA ISLEY

"Let her go," Thomas spoke worriedly as the mask covering his face receded showing his worried face. The man holding her smiled wickedly as she felt his grip on her tighten as she felt him push her gently, and her eyes widened as she realized just what was going on as she felt the floor vanish from beneath her feet.

"Of course," and with that, she was in free fall. The pain from the various cuts and scrapes vanished as the adrenaline kicked in, as she began to scream and try to wave away fanatically, despite a part of her knowing that all her efforts would be futile.

She felt her life flash before her, as she closed her eyes preparing herself for the impending pain. The impending end, until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her, and she as the sound of glass shattering filled her ears.

She felt herself slow down, and opened her eyes, and through her unshed tears saw the face of Thomas Wayne holding her in his arms, tightly as the claws from his suit held onto the foundation of Wayne Tower.

"Just hold tight," he shouted at her, his face pale and serious as one of the claws detached from the wall, slightly unsettling them before it struck the glass windows of the office.

CRACK.

The glass shattered, making an opening for them. Thomas swung into the now-opened office, and they rolled onto the floor. She could finally breathe again as she felt the floor beath her once more, as she lay there on top of the armored form of her young boss.

"Are you fine?" he questioned, and she nodded in a daze. The pain from her various injuries was gone as she tried to stand up, yet her legs felt weak, and she was only able to do so after Thomas helped her.

"How? Who? Wha…." She tried to question, but he cut in before she could finish.

"I know you have many questions, but there is no time for them at the moment; I need you to do something," he began, and for some odd reason, she found herself nodding as their eyes met.

"The antidote I had you prepare, I need you to make plans for its mass dissemination. Use anything you need. I don't care. Just get it done. Have it all ready for mass distribution at a moment's notice from me," he added, and she nodded, and with that, she saw him turn away from her as he made to move towards the gaping hole in the wall, yet he stopped after a step as he grunted in pain.

"Thomas!" she uttered as she rushed towards him, trying to support him as he fell to his knee, holding his side as he winced in pain.

"Are you fine?" she questioned, yet her eyes stilled as she noticed just how pale he was, and how he had jumped over when the plane had crashed into his office. The armor around his tore retracted, and she stilled as she saw how his clothes were dyed scarlet, even the metal of his armor was colored red now from the clotted blood.

"You are bleeding, we need to get you to a hospital," she said as he shook his head, and struggled back to his feet.

"Not yet, I have to stop Ducard first, he cannot be allowed to get away. Not after what he has done," and with that the mask covering his face covered his face once more, obscuring his face with only a two slits glowing in an ominous blue light.

"Just get the antidote ready. You will know when to distribute it all," and with that, she watched him rush out of the office, through the hole in the wall, using his claws to scale up the wall.

A thousand questions filled her mind. Yet at the moment she pushed them all down as she looked around and found the door and rushed towards it. Opening it, she ran through the halls, her heels now long abandoned as she ran barefoot toward her office to accomplish the task which she had been entrusted with.

She reached her office and swung open the door, and stilled as she saw that someone else was inside.

Someone she was not expecting.

"Mr. Fox!" she shrieked as she recognized the intruder, who didn't seem surprised to see her there.

The aged chief Executive officer of Wayne Enterprises looked up at her and nodded.

"Thomas did mention that you would be coming. I am here to help you," he said as he held up the vial of the antidote.

"I believe this is the antidote he had you concort for the fear toxin," he questioned, and she nodded as she simply pushed down a hundred more questions. After the initial thousand, what was another hundred?

"Yeah, but he wishes for us to make a plan for mass dissemination on immediate notice. I don't have any such plans that could work in the given timeframe," she said as her heart hammered in her chest.

"I do," the old man answered, making her head snap towards him.

"How?" she questioned.

"We could use the rail network if you can convert this into aerosol form. That way, we could distribute it through a major portion of the city relatively quickly," he said as he turned to face.

"Would that be possible?" he questioned, and she nodded as her mind raced.

"Yes."

"Good, then I will make the other preparations."

0000

SELINA KYLE

Her heart thumped in her chest as she stood face to face with the leader of the league of Shadows. From what little Thomas had told her the man was one of the most dangerous people in the world.

When she had watched a plane crash into the Wayne Tower, she had been devastated and had felt her whole life end at that moment as the Wayne Tower's topmost floor lit up in massive fire.

She had tried to contact Thomas, tried to talk to him yet there had been no answer for some time, the explosion had disturbed the transmission making it impossible to contact him as she had rushed towards the building on her boke, at breakneck speed.

She had jumped through the various building and had climbed up the side of the building, fear gripping her heart until she had heard his voice.

"What are you doing, Ducard? Let her go," and then she had glanced up and watched the very man who had confronted her on the docks weeks ago holding a redheaded woman on the edge, holding onto her as she tried to wiggle out of her grip.

"Of course," the man had answered as dread pooled in her heart as he flung the woman out the gaping hole in the building. And as she had slid past her, she had watched a silver blur race past her as well, their eyes meeting for a second only as she had watched him hold onto the girl, before the claw-like tentacles coming out of him, stopped their descent and when he glanced up their eyes met as relief filled her insides.

"I will stop him," she shouted at Thomas as he gave her a subtle nod, while he broke one of the windows as she scaled up the wall once more in her rage, aiming to stop the man who had dared touch her family.

She slid into his office, and as he was about to climb up a rope, she reached into her belt and took out the gun strapped into it, and fired a shot at the rope.

"AGHH!" he grunted in pain, and turned to face her.

"You!" he snarled, and she nodded as she pocketed the gun.

"Yeah, me. And it's time for payback!" she said as she rushed towards him, and tried to punch him, yet he ducked as he tried to counter but she was much more agile than his expectations as she slid under his punch and aimed a kick at his ankle which he avoided by jumping as he took out his sword and swung it as his eyes narrowed.

She herself rolled back and snapped her fingers in a jerk-like motion, forcing small claws to protrude from her gloves.

Both of them rushed towards each other, each attack more vicious and deadlier than the last; his blade cut through her suit, making her bleed from the various cuts she received as he expertly evaded each of her blows, much to her frustration.

"You will need a hundred more years of training before you could think of landing a hit on me," he said as he suddenly kicked a rock towards her, making her shut her eyes.

"AGHH!" she grunted as she jumped back, yet she was too late as his foot hit her in the gut, making her back hit the floor.

"GUGH!" she coughed up blood as he stood above her sword in hand, his own face marred by cuts and scrapes as he raised his sword.

"Now face your retribution!" and with that, he brought it down at her chest, all her attempts at trying to wriggle away futile, and she felt her life flash before her eyes.

CLING!

Yet the pain she had expected would never come, as the sound of metal clashing against metal would fill the room.

And she watched as a metallic hand gripped the sword, as it was literally inches away from her face.

And then she looked to the side and found the armored form of Thomas staring at her.

"You!" Ducard grunted in rage as he evaded a blow from Thomas and jumped back even as Thomas wrung away his sword from his grip and crushed it in between his hands as he climbed into the office with the use of his tentacles.

Selina had always known that Thomas was intelligent, very intelligent. Yet the suit of armor he wore just highlighted the sheer level of his intellect. The mask around his face slid away as his face appeared pale and bruised, with blood flowing down his lip as he stared worriedly at her.

"Are you fine?" he questioned, and she nodded as she helped her up.

"Ye…" but her words were cut short as sirens began to blast out loudly from the city around them, and she looked back and watched as the skies began to rumble. In the distance, she could spot a dozen or so small planes moving across the skies, leaving off a trail of smoke behind them.

She didn't know what it was, but Thomas's reaction told her this was bad.

"Shit!" he cursed as he turned to face the leader of the League of Shadows, who was smiling triumphantly at them.

"It seems I win in the end, Wayne," he said, and she didn't miss how Thomas's face scrunched up in pain as he stepped forward.

"No, you don't. Gotham shall survive whatever you throw at it. It is a damn resilient city and shall rise up with the morning Sun tomorrow stronger and better than it was as the Sun set today," he said, and the man smiled.

"I shall do everything in my power to see it so!" Thomas announced as he stepped up to face the leader of the League of Shadows, who shook his head as he stood straighter, his shoulders relaxing as he replied.

"You believe you could drag this city out of its decadent state. And maybe you could…" he began, and she saw him bring out on his arms from his back, her eyes widening as she saw just what it was in his hand.

A grenade, and she didn't miss how the pin had been removed.

"…and that makes you a part of the plague that plagues this city. A plague that must be cleansed,"

And she saw Thomas still as well, yet the man didn't throw it towards him; no she saw his eyes move as they landed on her as he threw the grade towards her.

Her heart thumped in her chest as she saw it flying towards her, seconds away from blowing up. She lacked even the awareness to jump away and had resigned herself to her fate when suddenly she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her, as her body was tackled rather violently.

BOOOM!

BOOOOM!

000

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